Promotion ceremony welcomes new AFMC vice commander

Published Dec. 31, 2009
AFMC Public Affairs report

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- It was a family reunion when Air Force Materiel Command formally welcomed its new vice commander with a promotion ceremony Wednesday, Dec. 30, at the National Museum of the United States Air Force.

More than 20 family members of Lt. Gen. Janet C. Wolfenbarger attended the ceremony at which the general's husband, daughter and parents pinned on her three-star rank. Gen. Donald J. Hoffman, AFMC commander, presided.

In addition to her family members, an estimated 250 civic leaders, current and former coworkers witnessed the ceremony and wished the general well at the follow-on reception.

"It's great to see so many friends and colleagues," General Wolfenbarger said. "They remind me of the importance of teamwork in everything we do in the Air Force, as well as the uniqueness of Wright-Patt and the Dayton area."

At one point in the ceremony, all of the general's family members in attendance joined her onstage along with husband, Col. (USAF-ret.) Craig "Wolf" Wolfenbarger; their daughter, Callie; and the general's parents, Maj. (USAF-ret.) Eldon and Mrs. Shirley Libby.

Several distinguished civic leaders attended, including four Dayton-area mayors.

General Wolfenbarger assumed her new position Dec. 4 following confirmation by the U. S. Senate of her promotion and appointment. As vice commander of AFMC, she is responsible for providing acquisition management and logistics support for a variety of Air Force aircraft and weapon systems. She is the Air Force's highest ranking woman, and the second AFMC vice commander in a row to hold that distinction.

Previously, General Wolfenbarger was the Director of Intelligence and Requirements at Headquarters AFMC, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.

The general's previous assignments also include commander of the C-17 Systems Group, Mobility Systems Wing, Aeronautical Systems Center, at Wright-Patterson, and special assistant for command transformation to the AFMC commander. She also held several positions in the F-22 System Program Office at Wright-Patt, and served as the F-22 Lead Program Element Monitor at the Pentagon. Also at Wright-Patt, she was the B-2 System Program Director for Aeronautical Systems Center from April 2000 through December 2002.

In 1980 General Wolfenbarger was among the first women to graduate from the U.S. Air Force Academy, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering sciences. In 1985, she received a Master of Science degree in aeronautics and astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She also earned a Master of Science degree in national resource strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, National Defense University at Ft. Lesley J. McNair in Washington, D.C.